The Indy 500 Became A Wasteland Of Passed-Out Drunk Fans Thanks In Part To A Lengthy Rain Delay

Matt Fitzgerald·
CULTURESPORTS
·
Indy 500
X/@Indy500Pics

Other than the compelling storyline of Kyle Larson vying to pull Double Duty at the Indy 500 and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600, complicated by the former race’s four-hour weather delay, there was a whole other world unfolding in Indianapolis on Saturday.

Let’s just say there were many a drunken fan who didn’t quite pace themselves well enough when it came to booze consumption.

A goldmine of an X/Twitter account that I have only just discovered, Indy500Pics, aggregates all the snapshots of struggle-bus spectators around Indianapolis Motor Speedway for The Greatest Spectacle in Racing. This has apparently been an annual running bit for a while now, as evidenced by the pinned post of this woman from 2022:

Just look at these poor souls who just wanted to be a hot-blooded American on Memorial Day Weekend, throw back some adult beverages, and try to remember at least some of the most prestigious open-wheel race in the world. Let’s start with a Chris Stapleton reference for the brand!

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Who cares what was to happen in the actual race? There’s plenty of entertainment value right here. I know these people got inebriated on their own volition, but I still empathize with them. They paid their hard-earned money to be at the freaking Indy 500 and will now remember zero of it. Let this be a lesson for any fans of any brand of racing who want to go to the show in person: Take into account Mother Nature-induced interruptions when you’re plotting out your alcohol intake. Otherwise, this is what happens.

Should be plenty more photos and perhaps videos spilling in. Congratulations to the soldiers who made it, wedging their eyes open Clockwork Orange-style and willing themselves to see at least some of the actual racing action.

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Even bigger ups to the attendees who, as is the wise choice, waited to binge harder until the race actually began. That’s the way to go. Although yeah, a four-hour delay is pretty intense, and I guess when it comes to you staring down the stockpile of drinks before you, it’s a matter of willpower and/or boredom to overcome to resist the temptation not to just start taking those to the face.

Here’s to a great Indy 500. And even though you can’t really consider the subjects of these hilarious passed-out photos “winners” in the sense that they are being publicly shamed, well, at least they’ve achieved a modicum of Twitter-based fame.

A beer bottle on a dock

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